Impossibilities
by SiriusMarauderFan
Summary: Her life was one impossibility after another. His greatest achievement was finding a life in a time not his own. / carried on from with the monsters' "basilisk love songs" - can be read without prior knowledge of the series.
1. Cat's Out of the Bag

**Author's Note:** Appreciation and thanks to  with the monsters who wrote a story almost five years ago for one of my competitions. It's called "you are the solace of impossibility" and to this day it remains my favorite fic of all time. (also the reason Molly II is one of my favorite characters)

I once jokingly told her that if she didn't write a sequel that I would. She did write a sequel – "basilisk love songs" – and this takes place after that. (I seriously recommend reading her stories first, but I'll be recapping in the story for those who don't want to go back)

This is also written for…

Weekly Elimination Weird Prompt Competition.

Ludo Game Challenge. _Prompts:_ apple tree, (emotion) annoyance

* * *

 **Cat's Out of the Bag**

"I'm in hell," Molly whined, shifting on the couch until her head was resting comfortably on the arm.

"Oh, stop complaining," Lucy scolded as she fluffed her twin's pillows. "You have a beautiful home and a husband who dotes on you, and in a few months you're going to have an adorable baby to take up your time." She let her hand rest on Molly's small bump of a stomach before it was swatted away.

"You're not the one on bedrest," Molly told her. "It's infuriating."

"It's necessary," Roxanne reminded her. Victoire nodded. The two healers had been checking on Molly nonstop since she announced her pregnancy.

Molly crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate her cousins' concern – the absolute last thing she wanted was a repeat of her previous pregnancy – but bedrest really was the most boring thing in the world.

"Always so stubborn," her mother tutted, pushing a green gift box into Molly's hands.

The baby shower had been Audrey's idea; a way to push Molly into being mildly sociable while getting her hopes up about the baby. Like all things these days, Molly allowed it because Salazar thought it was a fantastic idea.

Right on cue, her husband of eight months returned to the sitting room and began flitting through her hoard of relatives, refilling glasses and serving biscuits. She watched him with a smirk, wondering how he managed to pull off being such a charming host when he was just as antisocial as she was.

When everyone was sufficiently fed and hydrated, Salazar took his seat beside Lily and he wrapped an arm around the young girl's shoulders as he fixed his eyes on Molly and the small box in her hands.

She opened it then, knowing instinctively that it was from him. It helped that it was the only gift without a card or tag.

Inside was a simple silver chain with a snake wound around the front. Its tiny emerald eyes twinkled at her as she lifted the necklace.

"Not exactly a baby gift, is it?" she asked gently, winding the chain around her fingers.

At once Salazar was by her side, easing the necklace from her grasp.

"It's enchanted to translate your speech into … whatever language you wish," he said slowly and she took the hint. He reached a hand up to play with the gold and ruby lion head around her neck. "And I thought it might replace this."

Molly smacked his hand away. " _Never_ ," she told him, but accepted the snake necklace anyway. She stroked the lion head fondly. It had only been removed a handful of times in the eight years since the brief and unforgettable trip into the past that had allowed Molly her impossible life.

For so long the necklace had been proof that she hadn't dreamt up her time with Salazar and the basilisk. Now that they were here with her, the necklace served as reminder of her years spent waiting, and the things Salazar had given up to find her.

:-:

Salazar had tried to enjoy the party. It had been all his idea, after all. Passing it off on his mother-in-law to plan had been necessary to keep Molly from being furious with him. It was always amusing to spend time with her family, Lily in particular. But not even the company of the fellow parselmouth could brighten his mood when his mind was being bombarded by thoughts that were not his own.

 _I'm lonely_ , came the familiar hiss just a few minutes after guests started arriving. Salazar had tried to ignore it, but it'd only gotten more persistent as the afternoon went on.

 _Can I come out now?_

 _No_. Salazar didn't even want to think of the consequences of the entire female population of Molly's family discovering the basilisk they kept hidden in the cave just a short distance from their home in the countryside. It was bad enough Lily regularly visited just to play with it.

 _My neck is itchy._

 _Everyone will be gone in a few minutes. You can come out then._

There was silence after that. Salazar imagined a child's whine. As handy as it was having giant guard snake, it was rather annoying when said snake was spoiled beyond reason.

He became so wrapped up in the party – in Molly's reaction to his gift, to Lily's futile attempts to tickle or pinch him in order to break his calm exterior – that he paid no attention to what was happening outside their house until the sunlight became eclipsed by something big and scaly and Ginny took one look out the window and screamed.

He and Lily were the first ones out the door. For once he was grateful for her gift. She whispered soothing words to the basilisk while Salazar stood between the snake and the women as they came from the house with wands raised.

The basilisk's thoughts were all over the place. Happy to be near so many people, but scared of the looks on their faces. It's tail flicked worriedly and kept hitting the apple tree Molly was so fond of, prompting its leaves to fall.

"It's alright," he assured the group gathering around his pet. "It won't hurt you, I promise."

"You're keeping a monster in your back garden?" Ginny demanded with a shaky breath. She was hanging back near the house, a white-knuckled grip on her wand, watching wide-eyed as her daughter petted the snake.

"She's not a monster," Lily corrected with a glare. Salazar resisted a smile, thankful that Molly's family were such a bold bunch. "She was just lonely."

Ginny looked as though she might be sick at the thought, but she was pushed from the doorway as Molly pushed through with her mother close behind. They came to stand on either side of Salazar and together they formed quite a formidable line of defense, even if one of them was a middle-aged muggle.

"No one touches the snake," Molly announced firmly, hands on her hips. Salazar was pleased to see a silver necklace around her neck, unfortunately tangling with the gold one Godric had given her all those centuries ago.

"Isn't it … dangerous?" Victoire asked delicately. Her wand was away but she still seemed worried, huddled with her mother at the back of the group.

"I developed a potion a while ago that renders basilisk eyes harmless," Molly explained.

The basilisk turned it's warm yellow eyes on the group to prove Molly's point. Salazar let out a sigh of relief when all wands were out of sight. He could feel the basilisk's relief too, and her excitement growing.

"What's Lily doing?" Lucy wondered.

The twenty-year-old grinning, beckoning her cousin over while one hand rubbed all along the snake's neck.

"Basilisks love neck skritches!" she announced. "Especially when they're shedding skin." And indeed, there were patches of flaky skin atop its head.

Lily grasped Lucy's hand and held it against the snake, and the girls dissolved into giggles when the basilisk pressed into the touch like a cat.

"Who's a good basilisk? Yes, you are!" Lily cooed in parseltongue.

Salazar rolled his eyes at her, almost wishing he had taught the snake to kill after all. It would've saved so much time.

He felt a tug on his sleeve and looked down to his mother-in-law who was watching the snake wonderingly.

"What do you _do_ with it?" she asked in quiet voice. He admired her curiosity, standing not five feet from a gigantic snake without the magic to protect her.

"It's better than any protection wards, I assure you. And basilisk venom can be used in anti-aging potions. It's worth a lot on the black market – not that I would know such things," he added hastily.

It seemed Lily's demonstration of the proper way to pet a basilisk had won over much of her family as they crowded around the snake.

"Isn't he cute?" Rose said to her mother, coaxing the woman into touching a scale.

"He's rather terrifying, actually," Hermione answered.

"He's cuuuute. Basilisk, you're so cute!"

"It's a _female_ ," Salazar corrected quietly, somewhat annoyed by all the gushing.

Molly placed a hand on his arm, drawing his attention away from the chaos.

"You're getting agitated," she murmured with a smirk.

"It was _my_ basilisk." Was. Before a teenager dropped into his Chamber and captured both his and the basilisk's hearts.

"I know, you're such a good daddy," she said with a laugh.

He failed to see what was so funny, but then his Molly was prone to coming up with wild fantasies. For all he knew she was picturing him cuddling a small basilisk. Perhaps later he would explain to her the differences in hatching a basilisk as to waiting for a child to be born.

"I suppose the cat's out of the bag now," Molly went on, leaning into his side as they watched the snake wriggle in glee. With a start, Salazar realized she had been speaking parseltongue for the past few moments and became proud of himself for charming the necklace.

"I believe it's more suitable to say that the basilisk is out of the cave," he replied, leaning down to kiss her.


	2. Elliot and Ansel

**Author's Note:** Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! I was so worried about how people would take this story given the unusual notes and the fact that this is based off of a story not my own. I'm so glad I was wrong! :)

Written for…

Ludo Game Challenge. _Prompts:_ cat, sleeping, surprise

 **Elliot and Ansel**

Molly woke to a persistent poking to her back.

"Wake _up_ ," came the familiar whine. Molly rolled over, bumping into her youngest cousin's side.

"Lily, I'm about to have a baby. At least give me a few more months to sleep in?"

"But it's almost noon! You're turning into such an old lady." Lily pouted, pulling a small pink box onto the bed. "Which reminds me, happy birthday!"

Molly groaned, struggling to sit up. "I already told you, I don't want a party."

"We're not having a party. I mean, I don't know what Lucy and your parents are doing, but I just wanted to give you a present." She slid the box closer to Molly and crawled to the end of the bed to get a better view.

The box was a plain pink with a white ribbon holding the lid on loosely. It didn't take much tugging to get the big bow on top to crumple and the ribbon to fall away. The box started shaking right after. Lily nodded encouragingly, but Molly still tried to keep her distance as she gently lifted the lid.

 _Meow_.

Molly did a double-take. Of all things she fully expected her cousin to get her – a list which included a cactus, glow-in-the-dark boots and a _How to Train Your Basilisk_ book – a tiny black and white kitten was certainly not one of them.

Lily squealed, reaching forward to scratch the top of the kitten's head. "Isn't he cute? I've been calling him Elliot, but I'm sure you and Salazar will have a better idea of what to name him."

"Lily, why is there a cat in my house?"

"Because he's cute! And I thought you could use the company, since you're cooped up inside all day."

"I have the basilisk for company." Lily snorted and Molly stuck out her tongue. "You're not the only one who can talk to her now," she bragged, trying in vain to untangle the two necklaces she hadn't taken off in almost a month.

There was the sound of dishes clattering downstairs and Molly and the kitten both startled at the noise.

"Did you let someone in my house?" she accused.

"It's only Grandma. She wanted to make you lunch since you've refused to have a party."

Molly sighed, allowing her cousin to pull her and the kitten downstairs.

:-:

"None of this makes a bloody bit of sense," Salazar muttered under his breath, dumping a pile of paperwork in the rubbish bin.

"More mind-numbing forms?" his cubicle-mate asked, doodling on the corner of his newspaper.

Salazar heaved a sigh. "If only. I've been doing some research on the founders of Hogwarts."

The coworker, whose name he hadn't bothered to remember, leaned around the partition separating their desks and raised an eyebrow at the heap in the bin. "Isn't it enough that we have to deal with teachers' credentials and exam dates? You want to read this stuff in your free time too?"

"My wife's a historian," Salazar said by way of an explanation. He couldn't very well tell anyone the truth about his interest in finding out what happened to his co-founders after he left them in the past.

"I guess you would be into them. You're named after Slytherin, right?"

Salazar resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Sometimes he couldn't believe the newest generation's gullibility. Just the same, it had made adapting to the modern times much easier when everyone believed he was Salazar Tudor.

"Correct. The problem is that there is little to no information on any of the founders aside from what we – they, I mean. Aside from what they did to put together the school. It's maddening!"

The coworker – Ansel, Salazar suddenly remembered – hummed as he leaned back in his chair.

"Well, let's see … Ravenclaw was quite old when she died. Disease, but no one knows what. Her daughter's the Ravenclaw ghost. She never talked much when I was at school."

"Daughter?" Salazar scribbled the information down quickly. The last he'd seen of Rowena, she'd been twenty-six and had no interest in men.

"Oh, sure. Helena. Calls herself the Grey Lady, though."

"Who was her father?"

Ansel shrugged. "No idea. I guess it was never important enough to write in the history books. Maybe your girl can help with that?"

Salazar smiled. "Do you know anything about the other founders?"

"Not much. Slytherin left early on, I heard. Huge argument with the others. No one knows what happened to him after that. I mean, he had a kid of course."

"Excuse me?" Salazar dropped his quill, staring Ansel down. "Salazar Slytherin had no children."

"Sure he did. You-Know-Who was descended from him, wasn't he?"

Salazar considered the possibility that Ansel was seriously mistaken, but he was a Ravenclaw after all, and he'd doubted Rowena's intelligence enough times to not make the same mistake with the people of her house.

Without another word, he apparated home.


End file.
